Toll-collecting apparatus for telephone pay-stations.



No. 642,88I Patented Feb. 6, I900. C. E. SCRIBNER.

TOLL COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONE PAY STATIONS.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 1899.]

(No Model.)

Witnesses: Inventor:

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" TATES 'ATENT CHARLES E. SCRIBNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOTHE WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TOLL-COLLECTING APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONE PAY-STATIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,881, dated February6, 1900. Application filed January 26,1899. Serial No. 703,457. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. SCRIBNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Toll-CollectingAppliances for Telephone Pay-Stations, (Case No. 474,) of which thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention applies to coin-collecting or toll boxes for pay-stationsof telephone-lines provided with means controlled from the centraloffice for returning the deposited toll to the user of the telephone inthe event of failure to obtain the required connection; and it consistsin the combination, with coin-releas ing mechanism controlled by theoperator and a device controlled by the user of the telephone fordiverting the coin into the return-chute, of means for producing asignal before the supervising operator to indicate the position of thecoin-diverting mechanism.

The invention may be adapted to various schemes of circuits and modes ofoperation; but the device hereinafter described is typical with respectto the essential features of the improvement.

The toll-box may contain a fixed coin-chute, a movable stop in thecoin-chute, and a magnet actuating the stop adapted for control from thecentral station of the telephone-line through the agency of any suitablecircuits, a normal continuation of the coin-chute leading to a cash-box,abranch of the coin-chute leading to an external opening of thetoll-box, where the coin is accessible to the user of the telephone, amovable portion of the coinchute adapted to direct the coin into one orthe other of the channels, and means for shifting the said portion, asignaling instrument at the central office associated with the circuitsof the line, adapted to produce a signal visible or audible to thesupervising operator, and a switch controlled automatically in theshifting of the movable portion of the coinchute which operates thesignal. Through the agency of the signal and the controllingswitchassociated with the movable section of the coin-chute the operator isapprised of the movements of the user of the telephone in his effort toobtain the deposited coin and may control the passage of the coin to thecash-box or to the refunding-channel in accordance with suchinformation.

The inventionis illustrated in the attached drawing, which is a diagramrepresenting the electrical circuits and the apparatus in simplifiedform, the signal for indicating to the operator the position of themovable section of the coin-chute being a supervisory lamp associatedwith the line.

The coin-chute a. divides at its lower end into two branches at and 0,of which the former leads to aclosed cash-box within the case of thetoll-box, and the latter (1 leads to a receptacle on the face of thetoll-box, where the coin is accessible to the user of the telephone. Theportion a of the chute above the branches a. and a is pivoted, so as tobe movable to de-' flect the coin either into the channel a or into thechannel a and is operated upon by a push button b. The movable portionpreferably lies normally in position to direct the falling coin into thecash-box, the function of the push-button b being to direct the coininto the return-channel. 4

In the fixed portion of the channel a a stop 0 is provided, which isfixed to and controlled by the armature d of an electomagnet d,preferably polarized. A spring a projects into the chute a in the pathof a coin resting on the stop 0. This spring has a contact-anvil aagainst which it is pressed by a coin in the chute. A switch-spring 6,provided with a contact-anvil e, is associated with the pushbutton I),so that a spring is closed upon its contact when the push-button isoperated.

The telephone of a pay-station may be of any usual and well-knowncharacter. Thus the station may be provided with a receiving- 0conductor and one winding of induction-coil it being included in thelatter conductor. The other winding of coil h is interposed in a Theline-wires 1 and 5 branch 3 from line-wire 1, which terminates inanother contact-point k of the telephoneswitch and which includes alsothe receivingtelephone f and the condenser 2'. This arrangement ofconnections constitutes the well-known circuit for operating thetransmitting-telephone from a central source of supply, thetransmitting-telephone and one winding of the induction-coil being in abridge of the line when the switch is relieved from the weight of thereceiving-telephone, and the receivingtelephone, together with acondenser and the other winding of the induction-coil, being in shuntabout the transmitting instrument. The switch 7: is provided, further,with a lower contact upon which it rests when supporting the telephone.This contact-piece forms the terminal of a grounded conductor 4, whichis normally interrupted at switchcontacts a a in the coin-chute Ct andwhich includes the helices of magnet cl. The springs e 6 control abridge of the line-circuit 1 2.

At the central station the line-conductors are represented inassociation with plugs and a plug-circuit, such as is ordinarily used ina switchboard adapted for automatic currentsupply to the stationtransmitters. 0onductor 5 of the plug-circuit leads from linewire 1 tothe free pole of a grounded battery Z, one helix of a repeating-coil onbeing interposed in the conductor. Another winding of the same coil isincluded in a conductor 6, leading from the same battery to thecorresponding contact portion of the other terminal plug of the pair.Conductors 7 and 8 likewise unite the remaining contact-pieces of thetwo plugs through interposed windings of the repeating coil, the pointof junction of the repeating-coil windings being connected to earthdirectly. The conductor 7 of the plugcircuit includes the magnet-windingof a relay at, which controls a shunt about a supervisory signal lamp 0,associated with the plug, and included in a local battery-circuit 9,closed in registering contact-pieces of the plug and spring-jack formingthe terminal of the line. The conductor 5 of the plug-circuit traversesthe switch-contacts of a key 1), which in its normal position maintainsthe continuity of the conductor, but which in its alternate positionconnects with the conductor a grounded source q of current of polarityopposite to that of the battery Z.

In the operation of this appliance the user of the telephone may berequired, as a preliminary to the use of the instrument, to deposit therequired toll or coin in the coinchute, where it will fall to rest uponthe stop c in the channel. The deposit of the coin may be insured byanyof the well-known methods of working, such as producing a signal audibleor visible to the operator or providing circuit-closing agenciesinvolved in the act of initiating the call controlled by the coin.Numerous forms of such devices are familiar to those acquainted with theart of telephony and are in general use. Having deposited the requiredtoll,the subscriber may give his order to the operator, who will, ifpossible, make connection with the line of the required correspondent.lVhile the telephone is in use, the circuit between linewires 1 and 2 isclosed through the telephones, whereby current from battery I ispermitted to flow to earth through the signal-controlling relay n tomaintain the extinction of the signal-lamp 0. When the user of thetelephone, having finished his conversation, replaces the telephone onits switch, the circuit at the substation is broken and the signal lamp0 becomes lighted through the opening of the shunt about it. When thedesired connection is attained, the operator, after perceiving throughthe display of the supervisory signal 0 that conversation is finished,depresses the key 12, thereby applying the battery q'to the lineconductor 1, transmitting a current through the line conductor andthrough the wire 4: at the substation, including the winding of magnetd. The armature of the magnet is thereby moved and caused to release thecoin, which falls through the movable portion a of the channel into thechute a leading to the cash-box. When, on the other hand, the operatoris unable to make the required connection, she instructs the user of thetelephone to replace his telephone on its switch-hook and to pressinward the button I). The users act of placing the telephone 011 itssupport breaks the circuit between line-wires 1 and 2, at the same timeconnecting the polarized magnet d with the line conductor 1. The act istherefore indicated to the operator by the display of the supervisorysignal 0. Subsequently the user presses the button 12, whereby theswitchcontacts e and e are closed together, completing a bridge of theline and bringing about the disappearance of the supervisory signal.This act is thus also signaled to the operator. While the keyis in thisposition, the operator depresses the coin-releasing key p, whereby thecoin is released and is permitted to fall through the movable section aof the chute into the return-channel a and is thus delivered to the userof the instrument.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a telephone-line andthe telephones at the station thereof, of a coin-chute leading to acash-box, and a manually-operated deflector therein for diverting thedeposited coin from the cash-box, a movable stop in the chute and anelectromagnet actuating the stop, and means for controlling the magnetfrom the central oflice, a signalindicating appliance at the centraloffice, a circuit thereof to the station, and a switch associated withthe deflector and moved therewith controlling the said circuit; wherebythe movement of the deflector is signaled to the supervising operator,as described.

2. The combination with a telephone-line and the telephone instrumentsat the station thereof, a coin-chute at the substation, and a movablestop therein adapted to arrest the coin, a magnet controlling the stop,and means for exciting the magnet from the central office to release thecoin, of a manuallymovable deflector in the coin-chute adapted to effectthe return of the coin to the user of the telephone, a switch associatedwith the deflector to be moved therewith, a supervisory signal in thecentral office, and a circuit including the said signal and controlledby v the said switch, as described.

the stop and means for exciting the magnet from the central offlce, thecircuit of said magnet being controlled by the telephoneswitch to beclosed when the switch supports the telephone, a movable deflector inthe coin-chute beneath the said stop adapted to permit the coin to fallinto the cash-box or to divert it therefrom to return it to the user,and switch-contacts associated with the deflector to be closed when thesaid deflector is moved to divert the coin, said switch-contactscontrolling a circuit of the line adapted to render the supervisorysignal operative, as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 23d day ofDecember, A. D. 1898.

CHARLES E. SCRIBNER.

WVitnesses:

ELLA EDLER, D. E. WILLETT.

